Chương 8: Not Such a Hard Choice and a New Home

An made his way back downstairs. As he reached the first floor, he noticed the pale light of dawn beginning to bleed through the windows. He was genuinely surprised to still be on his feet, a long time had passed while he searched for the right technique, yet he hadn't collapsed from exhaustion.' Strange... Usually, when you're this tired, your mind gets foggy and your thoughts slow down. But all I feel is a slight ache in my limbs, not in my head.

I could credit the fruits I've been snacking on, but they only seem to mend the body, not the mind.' While muttering under his breath, he reached the desk and placed the manual before Elder Doshu." Evergreen? Excellent choice for your situation, brat. Hand over your plaque!" Elder Doshu nodded, her eyes flashing with approval as she saw his selection. She extended a gnarled hand, waiting. An complied immediately.

"Ughm... The technique costs sixty contribution points. Also, I'm giving you a set of standard first-rank techniques. And another book ' What Grows Beneath Our Fee t', an encyclopedia of spirit plants from the first to the third rank." She began piling books on the table with surprising speed "Here is also ' Know Whose Tracks These Are', a bestiary of every species discovered to date. And finally, ' Alchemy for Beginners' and ' Introduction to Talisman Writing'. But!

You can only choose one of these two auxiliary path books. Got it?"

"Now then! Go ahead, choose!" Elder Doshu laid out four books and one shimmering scroll containing the Evergreen technique in front of An.

"I... I choose the alchemy book." An reached out, tucking the three books and the scroll into his spatial pouch. He glanced at his plaque on the table and saw his balance had plummeted to a mere ten contribution points.

"Um, thank you, Elder, for your help." An bowed sincerely. He didn't feel cheated, he knew these extra references were vital for his survival, especially the alchemy text.

"By the way, I have a word of advice regarding your particular case." An had already turned to leave when the old woman called him back. Her voice dropped to a gravelly whisper, "When you start cultivating and your dantian activates, when you finally use your Qi sense to examine your body from the within, you'll be in for a few surprises. Don't be scared, and for the love of the Heavens, don't tell others what you find! Understood?!" Elder Doshu smirked, a wheezing cough punctuating her chuckle.

"Wait, what do you mean? Surprises?" An's brow furrowed, a cold weight settling in his stomach. He expected a "crutch" that would make his life even harder.

"Hehe! Cough! Heh! Cough! Don't look so miserable, it's nothing negative. Cultivators with a single element are... different, believe me. For instance, in our sect's history, we once had a single-element Wood cultivator just like you. His lifespan was twice as long as his peers." Elder Doshu took a deep breath, her cloudy eyes looking toward the ceiling as if peering into the past.

"Though I never understood why the fool bragged about it to everyone... Idiot!" She pulled out a handkerchief, wiped her face, and shook her head.

"Is it because there's no internal conflict?" An asked, looking for confirmation, "Back at the square, when the disciples touched the plaque, their elements burst out and fought each other. Even those with a dominant element had secondary energies that wouldn't stop clashing..." A strange, knowing smile spread across her face "Mm-hmm! You're sharp. Very observant. That's a rare and precious quality for a cultivator!" She nodded several times.

"When your cultivation increases, the truth will reveal itself. For now, stop overthinking. Just be careful and cultivate... Now that's all! Get out! You're hindering my work! Shoo!" With a barely noticeable smile, she began sorting through her scrolls, completely erasing him from her awareness. An checked his pouch one last time. As he approached the threshold, his eyes caught a simple wooden staff, a little over two meters long, leaning against the doorframe.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. He glanced back at the desk, but Elder Doshu had vanished as if she had never been there. The hall was silent. Taking two fruits from his pouch, An walked back and placed them on the table as a silent offering.

"I think this is a fair trade for a simple stick." He nodded to the empty chair, tucked the staff under his arm, and left the Pavilion. Descending the steps, he returned to the great tree. Using his new staff, he began prodding the fruits that were previously out of reach. After gathering another hundred, everything he could possibly knock down, he stuffed them into his pouch and set off toward the left gate, heading into the dark forest.

After walking the well-trodden path for about thirty minutes, a massive lake revealed itself through the trees. Small huts with two-meter-high fences lined the shore. An looked toward the opposite bank, but the water was so vast and the mist so dense that he couldn't see the other side.

"Flying on that overgrown goose, the Peaks didn't seem so huge... but this is just one side of the mountain," An whispered, awestruck by the sheer scale of his new home. Looking left, An saw extensive open fields rising up the mountain at a slight angle. All these fields were surrounded by shimmering barriers, formations, he guessed. Each field grew something different; although some plants were the same, there were small patches of unique spirit plants here and there.

"So these are spirit fields, and the people working them are spirit farmers... This looks much more impressive and beautiful than I thought!" He watched everything around him with great interest. Since it was early morning, An caught sight of outer disciples heading to their plots. Upon opening their barriers, they waved their hands to summon miniature rain clouds.

"That must be 'Spiritual Rain,' I think..." he turned his head, looking toward the lower part of the mountain. Both sides were filled with verdant fields of spirit plants. Taking his plaque out of his pouch, he closed his eyes, trying to connect with it. Information in the form of a mental path began to point him where to go.

"Ooh! Just like GPS, except the map is transmitted directly into my head." An opened his eyes and walked toward the lake. Approaching one of the plots, he raised his plaque above his head and stood there, expecting a reaction "There should be a formation here. Why is there no response?" He furrowed his brows. At that moment, a stream of information passed from the plaque. An immediately understood that the formation had recorded him as the new owner.

He could now freely pass through and control it via the plaque without needing to use any Qi. Opening the gate, An saw his new home: a spacious plot about thirty meters wide and fifty meters long. The entire area was covered with uniformly low grass, creating a natural lawn. On the opposite side, the plot opened directly into the water, with the bank overgrown with thick, dense grass. Near the gate stood a small, one-story shack.

There was nothing else on the plot, just an empty field, a lakeshore, and a tiny shack. An opened the door and looked inside. Waiting for him was something like a camping mattress, only slightly thicker, a small table, and two chairs made of dry, brittle wood. Two empty shelves stood against the far wall.

"Where's the bathroom? Well, the lake is the shower. But what about a toilet..." Looking around, he tried to find a restroom, "Wait, I've eaten about a hundred fruits by now and have no urges. Is this a feature of spirit fruits? Maybe the body has nothing to reject because there's no waste in them. Convenient." Approaching the bed, he tested its softness by bouncing on it. Losing interest, he stood up, left the house, and walked to the lakeshore.

He took off his sandals and stepped into the water, a smile spreading across his face "Perfect temperature!" After inspecting his plot, An sat down on the sand and untied the pouch from his stomach. He pulled out the Evergreen technique scroll.

"Well then, let's begin..." An broke the seal. Unrolling it, he saw that the entire technique fit onto a single sheet. The characters were densely packed and the font was tiny. What surprised him was how precise the writing was, it looked like it had been printed by a computer rather than written by hand.' Before beginning, a disciple must clear their mind and relax their body. It is not recommended to cultivate for more than three hours a day due to the strain on the mind and dantian.

Rest for several hours after each cycle. In case of pain...' He read the warnings at the top of the scroll.' Evergreen Qi Cultivation Technique... The Wood element is an inseparable part of Qi and is considered a primal force alongside the element of life, second only to Qi itself. All cultivators have a connection to Wood; the reverse is impossible.' An read the introductory paragraph, which felt more like the author's personal philosophy.

The moment An moved on to the actual principles of Qi cultivation, he drifted into a trance-like state without realizing it. One part of his consciousness focused on the scroll, while another saw only darkness. His physical body felt strange phantom temperature fluctuations. By the time he reached the end of the text, An had completely fallen into that darkness.